Where are they now? Bantam BB provincial champions 1954-55

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Published on Tuesday, January 24, 2017

By Rick Sparling

This feature by local author and sports historian Rick Sparling attempts to locate and catch up with the teams featured in Sparling’s most recent book, Amateur Hockey in Neepawa: A Scrapbook.

Wes McAmmond received his teacher's certificate from the Winnipeg Normal School and later received his Masters in Education at the University of British Columbia. He taught at Central School and was principal at West Park School. He initiated the public school hockey program, which ran from 1938 until 1962. Wes also taught at Manitoba Teachers College and the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. Wes loved music, belonged to the Shriners and the Neepawa Lions Club. Most notably, Wes was heavily involved in coaching and managing minor baseball and hockey. He passed away in ‘05 at the age of 94.

Garry Campbell graduated from the Neepawa Collegiate in 1958 and went to Brandon College, where he played quarterback for the College football team. He left there in 1961 for Thompson, MB, to work for Inco in their sample lab. He married Beverley Anderson in 1965 and they stayed in Thompson until 1968 and moved to Brandon. Garry finished his College  and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and a silver medal in Scholastics. He became the Vice Principal in Hamiota for five years. Garry and Beverley had two children, Cali and Carma and have four grandchildren. Garry excelled at sports and one of his favourite past-times was watching NHL hockey. He passed away in 1979.

Lawrence Cathcart has spent his entire life in the Neepawa area in the farming industry. He played hockey, coached and refereed for many years. He married Gail Montgomery 55 years ago and they are proud parents to four sons; Scott, Kevin, Derek and Myles and have 14 grandkids and three great grandkids. 

His interests are in his family, hunting, fishing, watching hockey and reading. Lawrence was one of the founding members of the Neepawa Native Junior A hockey club when they arrived in Neepawa in 1989

Wilf Jackson worked as a mechanic at McDougall's Garage and played hockey for the Intermediates until he married Fern Winthrop in 1961 at which time they moved to Duncan, BC. Wilf was self-employed. Fern passed away, tragically, in 1984. They had three children and Wilf has five grandchildren. He played old-timer's hockey from 1976 until 1992 with a team out of Campbell River. Wilf  has spent his last 24 winters in Parker Dam, California. He retired in 2014. 

Russ Cathcart left school and went into Winnipeg as an apprentice meat cutter for Safeway in 1957. He then ventured north to Churchill, MB, where he worked in the Commissary for the military in their meat department. He was there for about five years, met and married Joyce Parrott from Carman, MB. They had three girls and he has two grandchildren. He was transferred to CFB Shilo and then he worked for Safeway in Brandon then onto Virden, where he was self-employed, and next went to Cooperative Development in Grand Rapids, where he managed the store. He went from there to Safeway in Thompson, MB, and finally, to Duncan, BC, Working for Superstore stores in 1976. He finished his career at Quality Foods as a meat cutter and retired in 2002. Russ' hobby is simply R & R and after all of that travel, who could blame him?

Dennis Bent left Neepawa in 1960 and started working for Anglo Canadian in Portage La Prairie, driving bulk fuel to farmers in the area. He stayed on there for seven years and moved to Red Deer, Alberta and drove for Alpha Dairies. Dennis moved to Calgary in 1969 and spent 36 years as an owner/operator for Cascade Carriers and retired from them in 2005. He married Laurel Park and has four children and six grandchildren. Dennis keeps busy attending the various car shows around Calgary and does a little golfing. The Bents reside in Calgary. 

Doug Forsman went directly out of school and into Murray's Garage, as an apprentice mechanic, in 1957 and worked there until the doors closed in 2008. Doug moved out to McLaughlin's, who bought Murray's out and worked there for six more years until he retired in 2014, totalling 57 years. He advanced along the way to Service Manager in 1975 and then into sales later on. Doug married Jean McClelland from Durban, MB and they have two children and have six  grandchildren and two great grandkids. Doug was a volunteer fire fighter for 20 years, enjoyed many years of playing hockey in the Commercial league and ended his hockey playing  with the 39'ers Old Timers hockey team and has interest in the internet and golfing. He also belonged to the Kinsmen Club and the Lions Club. The Forsmans live in Neepawa.

Doug Levenick moved to Winnipeg in 1960 and worked for Scott National, a wholesale food company which was part of “Burns”. Doug was transferred to Dryden, Ont. and managed the division until his retirement in 1998. He married Beverley Zinger and had two children and two grandchildren. Doug enjoys the outdoor life, camping, hunting and fishing and the Levenick's live in Dryden still.

Ron McLaren went to the University of Manitoba and then on to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, receiving a doctorate in Animal Nutrition. He worked as Provincial Nutritionist upon returning to Manitoba in 1971, then worked at Feedrite until his retirement. Ron married Bernice Bucsovich, who passed away in 1996. They had three sons, Sean, Kurt and Brett. He was re-married to Zita Allard and has resided in the Fort Richmond area of Winnipeg. When he was able, he enjoyed team penning, fishing, hunting and socializing with family and friends.

Bernard Holod moved from Neepawa to Portage la Prairie when he was 14 and after leaving high school, he worked for Preston Automotive there until moving to Edmonton in the mid ‘70s. He married Linda Shangoose and had one child, Pam, and one granddaughter. Bernard worked for McGregor Light & Power in Edmonton until his retirement in 2005. He currently resides in Stoney Plain, Alberta.

Lewis Vivian worked at the land Titles Office and moved into Winnipeg to attend school there. He came back still a young man and worked at the King Edward Hotel after his Uncle Lewis passed away. Later on, he was at the Vivian Motor Inn. He married Evelyn Curtis in 1947 and had one daughter, Lee. Lew served with the 170 Ferry Squadron for the  Royal canadian Air Force. He coached for years from the Bantam BB division up to Junior B's in the ‘50s and ‘60s and if you played hockey in Neepawa in those years, you undoubtedly played for Lew. He also helped further the players' education by applying for hockey scholarships for those who qualified. Lew passed away in 2008.

Kas Kasprick went to work for the Neepawa Meat market shortly after leaving school and was their delivery boy. He moved into Winnipeg and became a butcher at Shop Easy and then with Safeway in the same capacity. Kas moved to Portage and worked as a butcher/meat cutter for an independent food store. He married Bev and they have four girls and four grandkids. Kas retired due to an illness in around 2011 and passed away just recently, in 2016. 

The last report about Bruce Johnson was that he went to Moosomin, Saskatchewan , where the family opened up a clothing store. I was unable to trace his where-a-bouts from there. If anyone has information on Bruce, please let me know and I will include it in a future column.

Albert Pellow left Neepawa after school and went into Winnipeg to work at the teacher's college as a cook. When the college closed, he went out to Cranberry-Portage  and then after a short spell, went back into Winnipeg to the School for the Deaf until 1967. A friend of Albert's, Harvey Jury, got him on at the City of St.James as a caretaker/maintenance man and into the St. James Police Department in 1972, also as a maintenance man. He retired in 2003. Albert married Norma Boyd and they had three children and have five grandkids. Norma passed away in 2007.  His hobbies include small projects in carpentry, cross country skiing,  gardening and keeping busy with the grandchildren.  

Garry Harris sold Watkins product after leaving school and became a distributor for them for 12 years. He married Joan McEeachern in 1964. They lived in Brandon, where Garry sold cars for Canadian Motors. They moved to Neepawa where he sold feed to the area Hutterite colonies until his health began to fail. Garry passed away in 1999.

Chris Jackson, better known as “Nipper”, left Neepawa to go into the mining industry and mined in Northern Ontario and then in Thompson, MB. He worked for The Salvation Army in British Columbia as a cook. Chris was married with one child. He passed away circa 2005.

Barry Anderson left Neepawa after graduating from NACI and went to Colorado College on a hockey scholarship, where he graduated from in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a teacher's certificate. Barry started teaching in Carberry and spent his entire career of 32 years there, 29 of those years as Principal. He retired in 1996. Barry married Marlene McGregor in 1962 and they have three children and four grandchildren. He enjoys golf and he still works in the summer months as a hail adjuster  

Don Martin left school to pursue his hockey dreams with the Brandon Wheat Kings then into Winnipeg to play for the St. Boniface Canadians. When Don returned to Neepawa to work the mixed farming operation, he spent 20 consecutive years playing for the Neepawa Cubs baseball team and in the winter played for the Intermediates and the Neepawa Natives. Don married Eleanor Anderson from Melita and had three children and has three grandchildren and two great grandkids. He coached various minor hockey teams over the years, including the 1961-62 Bantam AB's to the Provincial Title.

Garry Martin went to Colorado College on a hockey scholarship after graduating from the Neepawa Collegiate. He graduated from there with a BA degree in 1962 and went on to Arizona State University, where he graduated from with a MA and PHD in psychology in 1966. Garry went on to teach at St. Paul's College/University of Manitoba. He retired as a regular professor there, where he still teaches on a part-time basis. Garry has written eight books, mostly on sports psychology. One of his books, “Behaviour Modification”, has been published in as many as five languages and used as psychology text for universities in 19 countries. He married Lois McKee (now divorced) and in 1970, married Nickie Brodie. He has five children and five grandchildren. Garry does some walking and continues to revise his books and teach. Garry and Nickie reside in Winnipeg. 

Art Crabbe spent a short stint in the Canadian Army, as part of the National Survival Training (referred to as “snakes & ladders”) in the late 50's. Art joined the Royal Canadian Navy and served on several of Her Majesty's Canadian ships. Art was posted to the training base in Cornwallis, NS and then Art was transferred to the Army as a vehicle technician and was posted to Germany and then to Moose Jaw. In October of 1981, Art was killed in a traffic accident near Moose Jaw. Art was an avid curler and participated in many bonspiels, both within and outside of the military. He also loved to play baseball and to play with his two daughters, Terry and Michelle. Michelle died tragically in September of 1981, just about a month before Art died. Art married Gladys Fedoruk of Red Deer, Alberta, who unfortunately died while serving in Germany in the 1980s